What is Crohn's Disease?

Crohn’s Disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), putting it in the same category as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis. All inflammatory bowel diseases cause irritation in and inflammation of the intestines, and that causes pain and diarrhea, making it often difficult to narrow down an IBD diagnosis. A gastroenterologist (GI specialist) will run blood and stool sample testing in addition to performing tests such as a sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, CT scans, and/or X-rays to make a definitive diagnosis.